What to do with the innards scooped out of your zucchini to make stuffed Kousa??? Have you ever had that quandary?? Probably not, unless you grew up
in the Levant (Syria, Lebanon, Jordan) where stuffed kousa is prepared. Well, I wondered on an occasion or two when living in Jordan, but another expat, who had mastered the art of Arab cooking supplied the answer....fritters! You don't even have to make Kousa (the Arab word for squash) to create this recipe but can skip that step entirely and just grab the freshest, most convenient zucchinis you can find, whether from your own garden or the grocery store to prepare these delicious, crispy, easily prepared appetizers or side dish. The tomato sauce is the perfect accompaniment and is actually composed of the elements that most kousa, stuffed grape leaves, stuffed eggplant, etc. are served in anyway. It is a match made in Jordan! (If you want to make the kousa just for the fun of scooping out the pulp, check my recipe on this blog under the name of "Kousa Sahel".)
Zucchini Fritters, Jordanian-Style
2 large of 5 medium zucchini, grated
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup cup chopped green onion
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/2 cup finely chopped red pepper
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
pinch of sugar
olive oil for sauteing
Tomato Dipping Sauce
3 large tomatoes cut into 4 wedges each
1 onion, cut into slivers
5 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tab. lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
dash of red pepper flakes or red pepper
-Wash zucchini and trim off ends. Grate the zucchinis and place in a large mixing bowl. Stir in 1 teaspoon of the salt and set aside for 10 minutes.
-Squeeze as much liquid as possible out of the
zucchini by placing in colander and pressing firmly
with your hands or wrapping small amount of
zucchini at a time in paper towels and twisting to
remove liquid. You should have about 3 - 4 cups of
dried zucchini at this point. Return zucchini to
large mixing bowl.
-Stir in the green onion, garlic, red pepper, parsley and eggs. Mix together. Then add flour, baking powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, black pepper and pinch of sugar. Mix until well incorporated.
-Using a large heavy bottomed skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium high heat. until hot. Add the zucchini mixture a heaping tablespoon at a time and flatten slightly into rounds. Saute 3 -5 minutes per side or until golden brown. Check the center of one to make sure batter is cooked through. If not reduce the heat slightly and cook fritters a bit longer. Remove when golden brown and place on paper towels to cool slightly.
-For the sauce: (Sauce may be made ahead and set aside
until the fritters are done.)
-Place tomato wedges, whole garlic cloves and sliced onion on a baking sheet and roast in a 400 degree oven 12 - 15 minutes until vegetables are soft and beginning to brown. Remove from oven.
-In medium saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Chop vegetables roughly, husk garlic cloves and place in pan, cooking and stirring for about 5 - 10 over medium heat until mixture comes together as a sauce. Stir in salt, pepper and red pepper. Remove from heat and sprinkle with lemon juice and stir in. Place tomato dip in small dish to serve alongside fritters.
-Serve fritters warm with sauce. Makes 8 - 10 servings as an appetizer or side dish.
Mix ingredients together to make fritter batter.
Serve crispy, delicious fritters with Tomato Dipping Sauce
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